Moses and his roses

2007-04-12

Bollanoto Tourism Information Centre was transformed into a tropical garden on Saturday, when Moses Mahlo, a young entrepreneur from Namakgale, set up shop there for the day.

Moses, 20, started growing roses as a joint venture with his friend three years ago. When his friend left the small business to begin tertiary education, Moses continued with the little nursery in his back yard. So far, the proceeds from the business have paid for Moses to stay at Vuxeni High School, where he is studying for his matric, and he has recently succeeded in putting his brother through a Diploma in Labour Relations at the University of Limpopo.

Moses’ great ambition is to complete his matric so that he can go on to study for a degree in horticulture. Although he is doing well with the knowledge he has gained on his own, he would like to know more so that he can grow his business. His further education will probably depend on his plant sales, as there is no sign of a bursary for him at present.

Until the plant sale at Bollanoto was arranged, Moses had received no help from anyone except his family members, who sometimes help him with the garden. Due to his lack of transport or money to rent a bakkie, Moses usually only sells in Namakgale. He sometimes arranges sales in Phalaborwa town, but he admits that delivery is a problem, particularly with bulk orders. The Palabora Foundation’s Business Development unit stepped in to lend a helping hand, seeing how much effort he had already made.

Jenni Fleming, Programme Head of Business Development, talks enthusiastically about Moses and his achievements. Jenni said, “I bought roses from him four months ago and all the bushes are flourishing. And for only R20 a bush!” She was so impressed with the quality of his plants, and his success in supporting his own education and his brother’s, that she decided to find out how she could improve his sales.

Moses has been unable to get a contract with any of the nurseries in town because he has problems achieving a consistent supply with his limited means, and because of the transport problem. The Palabora Foundation decided to assist Moses by organising the Bollanoto event and providing him with transport and advertising.

If you missed Moses at Bollanoto, you can contact him to place an order on 083 482 9668.

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